A pair of Brazilian flyweights faced off on the UFC Vegas 76 main card on Saturday, as Ariane Lipski took on Melissa Gatto.
A former KSW champ, the “Queen of Violence” Lipski was 2-1 in her last three, while Gatto was looking to bounce back from her first career loss, against Tracy Cortez last year.
The fight opened with Gatto circling on the outside, while Lipski held center. She landed a kick to the body; the pair traded punches, but through the opening two minutes, little was landed, at least of any significance. Lipski at least was throwing, but missed the mark as often as not, while Gatto looked to counter, or lead with her kicks.
As the round wore on, the exchanges continued. Lipski showed some stance switches, and kept Gatto on the outside. It wasn’t until the final 30 seconds that Gatto closed the distance, getting Lipski on the fence looking for a takedown — which she couldn’t find prior to the horn sounding.
Gatto took all of a minute to get back to a clinch in round two, showing ample strength in pinning a slippery Lipski against the cage. It was Lipski, however, getting the fight down, though the pair stopped straight back up. Again, Gatto put her weight on Ariane Lipski; even when they came off the fence, Gatto bullied Lipski back to it. Lipski would reverse, but couldn’t hold the position. When they did break, Lipski got her hands going and added a leg kick, followed by an uppercut.
Round three featured more exchanges on the feet through the opening three minutes. But from there, Gatto would threaten to take the back standing. She didn’t have it, and slid off, going to the ground with Lipski getting inside her guard. Lipski postured up, landed a punch and backed off, letting Gatto back to her feet. Lipski then marched forward, firing a combination capped off with a low kick.
The pair would wind up going the distance, with Lipski taking the victory care of two judges.
Official Result: Ariane Lipski def. Melissa Gatto by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
